Atlético Nacional faced Patriotas in a match of the 5th round of Liga BetPlay 2024-II, and although both teams needed a victory, the match turned out to be quite complex. The first half was forgettable, but in the second half, goals resulted in Pablo Repetto’s team winning with a score of 3-1.
The green-and-whites gradually tried to take control, but the reality was that Patriotas also aimed to surprise and played tactically well, closing off important spaces, in addition to making their opponent look poor.
While Nacional attempted to score, Patriotas caused more damage with less effort, and the clearest opportunity fell to Sebastián Perea, who shot close to Harlen Castillo’s goal.
After a scoreless first half and with a somewhat poor performance from Nacional, Patriotas aimed to cause an upset in the second half, but the locals found the net at 48 minutes.
The one to open the scoring was Dairon Asprilla, who took advantage of Edwin Cardona’s assist, firing a strong right-footed shot into the lower part of goalkeeper Juan Valencia’s goal.
However, Patriotas emphasized to Nacional that they were not playing well, equalizing two minutes later with a fine finish from Sebastián Parra for 1-1, which was not a surprise.
From that point on, Patriotas regained confidence, and after a poor clearance by Harlen Castillo, Diego Ruiz took a shot, but the green-and-white goalkeeper was alert enough to correct and send it to the corner.
Nacional did not want any more surprises and continued to create dangerous opportunities, always searching for the goal, but their finishing was letting them down.
Despite this, the ball eventually went in, and at minute 65, Alfredo Morelos made it 2-1, which started to pave the way for the definitive victory with a header following an important assist from Juan Felipe Aguirre.
Nacional stepped on the accelerator a bit more, and Patriotas kept competing, attacking the rival goal, but the locals began to suffocate them with their physical display. However, since Pablo Ceppelini’s entry, Repetto’s team felt more comfortable attacking.
It was in the 75th minute that the 3-1 came for Nacional, thanks to Dairon Asprilla, who, without any trouble, found himself under the goal and pushed the ball in to secure the green-and-white victory.
From then on, the match became quieter, and Nacional maintained their lead, while Patriotas retreated to avoid conceding more goals.
This victory left the green-and-whites with 13 points, placing them back in the top spots, while Patriotas remains with 2 points.